7 Plants That Bring Vibrant Fall Garden Colors to Your Yard — Picks for a Beautiful Autumnal Palette

It's time to bring life to your fall garden with bright and airy colored blooms that will certainly chase down those seasonal blues. As fall makes its way onto your doorsteps, the backyard will be in need of some attention.

Just as the trees are changing shades, your yard will be too. This month, annuals will start to die back, perennials will go into hibernation for the winter, and deciduous shrubs will start their rich amber-toned metamorphosis. But just because the time for summer blooms has passed, doesn’t mean your yard work is done. It's time to make way for those beautiful plants that flower in the fall.

In fact, with the added rain and cooler temperatures, fall is the perfect time of year to start setting your yard up for success next spring. From bare root plants to bulbs and winter-flowering annuals, there’s a huge range of plants that you can plant now and enjoy across fall, winter and right into spring. But where do you start? Don’t worry, our landscaping expert has revealed her top picks to plant now.

1. Pansies

These make for the perfect fall flowers for raised garden beds. And If you think flowers are just for spring and summer, you’d be forgiven. After all, we spend all year cultivating our yards and balconies to provide a wash of summer flowers without much of a thought for fall. But with flowers like pansies and violas, pretty petals can be enjoyed throughout fall and winter.

For Laura Janney, founder of The Inspired Garden, it doesn’t get better than a bunch of these winter-loving plants. "If you want vibrant color in your fall garden, there’s no better choice than adding annuals," says award-winning expert Laura. "While some summer flowers may linger, they often start to fade. Certain fall annuals, like pansies, can put on a stunning display. By choosing long-blooming annuals, you can ensure a burst of color throughout the autumn season."

Of course, with these winter-flowering plants you don’t need to worry about any sudden temperature drops affecting your blooms. As Laura explains, "Pansies are especially easy to plant when temperatures begin to drop, brightening up your garden effortlessly. They’ll keep blooming until temperatures dip into the low 40s, making them perfect for transitioning your garden from summer to fall."

Plus, with so many colors available to choose from, you’re guaranteed to get a flower that complements the rest of your yard or balcony. For a pansy that is worthy of Laura’s outstanding garden designs, look out for DeltaTM Pro Clear True Blue and DeltaTM Pro Neon Violet. "We love how they add a vibrant pop," says Laura. "Clump them together in groups of 3-5 to really make an impact in full sun to part shade."

2. Rudbeckia

Fall gardening is all about embracing those amber tones and maximising the color change between seasons — and we’re not just talking about leafy maple trees.

According to garden designer Laura, treating perennials as annuals at this time of year is a great way to add splashes of color without committing to a plant long-term. Her personal favourite? Rudbeckia — and it's a stunning fall flower to plant. "Rudbeckia comes in all of our favorite fall colors, like yellow, orange and red. With big upright blooms and furry leaves, it instantly creates a cheerful pop of color in your fall garden," says expert Laura.

However, as Laura explains, Rudbeckia is a plant with a particularly persistent growth habit and should be treated with some caution. "While this is a perennial, it can be very invasive, so we prefer to treat it as an annual. Give it lots of sun and deadhead spent blooms and it will continue to bloom all season long."

For the perfect position, look for a spot in your yard with full sun and well-draining soil. Plus, with its naturally deer-resistant properties rudbeckia is an ideal plant for withstanding your local wildlife’s breakfast cravings! For a favorite of ours, look out for Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy'. With dark burgundy petals and deep red centres, not unlike Chocolate Cosmos, they’re perfect for playing up to the season’s crimson tones.

Laura Janney

Laura is the Founder and Owner of The Inspired Garden. A winner of the 2024 Houzz Design award, Laura has over 20 years of experience in gardening and working with clients designing beautiful gardens.

3. Asters

Delicate and daisy-like in their appearance — if you're looking for a perennial to plant in September, then Asters are a fantastic late-blooming flower to enjoy well into fall.

"Asters are like the fun and playful little cousins of mums. They feature small, daisy-like clusters of blooms in shades of purple and pink, some with a yellow center and some without," says gardening expert, Laura.

"Our favorite varieties to work with are Shoemakers® 'Blue Bayou', HenryTM 'III Pink', and Showmakers® 'Lilac Sunset'. Their colors are gorgeous, and they give a great pop to the garden. Asters, like the rudbeckia, are perennials but we like to take out after the fall season, as they can get very large and take over valuable garden space and their foliage is not very attractive."

Just like pansies and violas, Aster flowers are also edible (providing they haven’t been grown using any pesticides or harmful toxins). To ensure they’re the best quality, we love growing them from seed and using them on top of cupcakes, or in salads!

4. Ornamental Cabbages

Unlike conventional edible cabbages, ornamental brassicas feature a sensational central rosette of color ranging from deep reds to fuchsia and even delicate creamy whites, making them a top choice for those modern vegetable garden ideas and garden expert, Laura, agrees.

"Ornamental cabbages, like the 'Color Up Purple' variety, add color and unique texture to the fall garden. Their soft yet sturdy, waxy leaves and rounded growth habit make them unlike any other fall annual," says Laura. "Cabbages are so incredibly cold-tolerant, sometimes we see them last through winter and into spring the following year! You can find them in purples, pinks, whites, and greens."

When looking for the perfect place to plant your ornamental cabbages, don’t forget your patio or balcony. These brassicas look great over fall and winter when grouped together in a large pot — especially when paired with gourds for a fall-themed front porch!

5. Celosia

Wondering what to plant in October? Well, If you’re a cut-flower enthusiast, you may have noticed your beds looking a bit baron this month! Come fall, all your classic summer cut flowers like lupins and roses will have all gone to seed, or started to die back in preparation for winter, leaving large gaps in your beds where they previously stood.

To fill in these gaps, you’re going to want a late-flowering plant and, according to expert and garden designer, Laura, that’s Celosia. "Celosia is one of our all-time favorite plants for a fall garden," says Laura. "They have interesting fuzzy-textured blooms in vibrant jewel-tone colors, and their unique shape creates a fun contrast to the softer, rounder flowers. We like to work with shades of magenta and red, but you can even find them in yellow and orange. Once their blooms are past their peak and start to fade, they resemble the plumes of an ornamental grass. Our favorite variety is IntenzTM 'Dark Purple'."

Reaching 1.5-3ft these eye-catching flowers, similar to lupins in shape but much smaller, are great at bulking out beds at this time of year. Just be careful where you plant them in fall, though. Celosia is not frost-hardy, so if you live in an area which is likely to experience hard frosts, make sure you plant your celosia in a pot which you can bring inside when the temperatures drop, or protect it with horticultural fleece.

6. Alliums

Getting ahead of your gardening jobs is essential during the fall and, trust us, future-you will thank you! The biggest fall task? Bulb planting. Whether its crocus, daffodils or tulips, it’s essential to get them in the ground before it starts to harden through frosts. Then come April and May, when your containers and beds are a wash of magnificent spring color, you’ll be happy you made the effort!

For award-winning garden designer Laura, it’s all about alliums. As well as being the ideal pest control plant, allium bulbs are perfect for adding drama and height to your garden, which will bloom mid-spring. "They are one of our most requested flowers," says expert Laura. "Not only are they deer-resistant, but they also retain their beauty even after they dry out, adding texture to your garden."

Like many bulbs, alliums come in a huge range of colors. We love Allium azureum. Its gorgeous powder-blue flowers contrast beautifully against herbaceous green plants – plus butterflies and bees love them!

7. Chrysanthemums

It’s official, we’re on Team Mum! Though these long-lasting flowers have gained a reputation of being old-fashioned and overly traditional, garden designer Laura is here to put them back on the fall flowers hot-list. They're also a great plant to propagate in September, so why not opt for double or even triple?!

"No other plant provides color in fall like mums," says Laura. "We like to work with smaller sized mums that come in 4-8 inch containers, and reassure my clients that, when mixed in with all the other elements, mums will not look overbearing or old-fashioned!"

She continues: "Look for mums that are just 'cracked' or just starting to open up their blooms, which will get you about six weeks of color. If you’re planting in a shaded spot, opt for mums that are already in full bloom. Some of my favorite varieties are MirandaTM 'Orange', YolandaTM 'Yellow', and 'Stellar Purple'."

As well as looking great in a container, mums also make incredible cut flowers and can last up to 14 days if looked after properly. Just be sure to cut them with some super-sharp secateurs and change the vase’s water regularly.

And that's it! Happy fall garden planting and we hope you get to experience colorful blooms throughout the cool and crisp seasons.